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Monday, October 12, 2009

If you were to come visit South Carolina right now, you'd be hard pressed to find any sign that it is indeed Fall. For us, an extra packed schedule and an ever growing temptation for candy corn let us know tis the season. The leaves are still green, the sun is still out and the heat and humidity are still very much present. So what is a gal to do when she is season deprived? Get in the kitchen and bake something Fall-ish like these Spiced Quince Crumbles while listening to comforting favorites.

Nothing screams Fall louder to me than the smell of quince simmering on the stove with a handful of my favorite spices. My mom used to make quince jelly every year and the process usually took a couple of days between the peeling, slicing, slow cooking, straining and canning. Every year, I looked forward to these days like a famished wolf. There would be jelly sweet as honey for our morning toasts and quince compote left over from the straining for our after school tartine.

Quinces are no locally grown here so they tend to be pricey and since we are watching our budget, they are more of an occasional luxury, and I treat them as such. Nothing gets wasted not even the seeds. Once peeled I use the skin to flavor tagines and oriental stews. The seeds are very high in pectin so I wrap them in cheesecloth and use them for pate de fruits or other jams. The soft flesh is most often stewed until tender and parked in the refrigerator for tarts or crumbles just like this one.

I love that I can find them around here as soon as October rolls around even though no one at the store really knows what they are and how to prepare them. If you live in my town and they was a lady holding up the cashier's line for a code check, might have been me and my two quinces!

There are no good words to explain quinces properly. They are a bit of this and a bit of that but also neither this nor that. Whatever you do with them, just do not eat them raw. You can always check Google and Wikipedia or trust me that they are too good not to bake with.

We've had a pretty packed weekend of photographingweddings and my brain is getting fried by the minute planning a job this week, working with this amazing photographer (I style, he shoots). So when we plopped on the couch last night and put our feet up with a couple of these crumbles, all seemed right and quiet with the world. At least during those ten minutes of eating them...

These gluten free crumbles start with softly poached quinces in plenty of spices reminiscent of Fall like cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, cloves. Here I used a mix of flours for the topping with some chopped hazelnuts, but you could substitute the same amount in all purpose flour if you wish.

Prepare the quinces:Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover the quinces. Bring the content of the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, place a lid halfway over the pot and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the quinces are soft when you poke a knife through them. Remove the fruit from the liquid with a slotted spoon and let cool to room temperature. Thinly slice the quince and reserve.

Butter the inside of four 1 cup capacity ramekins or small dishes and set them on a baking tray. Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.

Prepare the crumble:Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your fingertips or a fork until the mixture resembles large beads.

Divide the quince slices evenly among your prepared dishes and sprinkle the crumble as evenly on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

You might have leftover crumble mixture, you can either bake it separately and crumble it up over ice cream later or freeze it for up to three months for a quick crumble later.

oh, I love crumble! I saw a photo of it on a blog and I knew it would taste heavenly :) I was wondering if I could use different flour and brown sugar, so thanks for the recipe :)by the way, it goes perfectly with vanilla ice cream right after you've taken it out of the oven :)

Fantastic! I just received some quinces and have just been staring at it in bewilderment. i was hoping it'd magically turn into something tasty on its own but I see I will have to have a hand in all this!

I love the pictures with the leaves and acorns, just awesome!!!! Quince is also a fruit that I grew up with. My mother used to always pair it with some sort of game....The crumbles are mouthwatering!!!

One reason I have to look forward to Autumn is I love quince. I saw them in the shops here recently marked produce of Australia. When I queried the shop assistant as to how they were available in Spring I discovered they had been stored in cold storage over winter. I only buy in season so I'll wait until autumn for fresh ones.

I like how you have served them Helene. I often use them in Tarte Tartine.

Helen, I feel your comment about going to South Carolina and it not feeling like fall. I felt the same way here in Brisbane when in September (still technically winter) and it was over 30C/90F. Plays havoc with your baking schedule!!! I was going to comment similarly to Barbara above. In some stores, there is considerable produce that has been stored and out all times of years. Fortunately I have a lovely little independent in Brisbane that I visit which assures freshness. I've never baked with quinces, but I will rest assured and take your advice onboard and make sure I get my hands on some my next autumn.

I love quince and just posted some pics of this handsome fruit on my blog (harvest time indeed). While I have most reserved for jam, I think I'll definitely have to hold out a few more for this fine crumble recipe-- thank you.

I have never baked with quince before, and you have inspiried me. The shot with the different color eggs, hazelnuts and spinces is just beautiful, Helen. And, I know you didn't make them, but you are killing me with those adorable ramekin-sized cast iron skillets.

Haha, I always confuse the people at check out with my quinces, too! I want to try to buy them from local farmers this year but the handful at the market last weekend were small and greenish so hopefully they will get better (and more plentiful) in the next couple of weeks.

These crumbles look fantastic, too. The smell of quince poaching is indeed a magical thing.

I have to find out how a quince taste like but judging from the outcome, they have to be absolutely delicious. I love the spiced poached flavour and everything seems to come together. The presentation and pictures are absolutely gorgeous. May I ask where you bought the pans you had baked them in - they are very unique.

Hi Helen! Quince crumble.Sumptuous idea. They grow a little quince here in Virginia, but not much. I was lucky to get 1/2 bushel and made many tings with them - including quince ice-cream (miam miam miam) See it here: http://www.laughingduckgardens.com/ldblog.php/2009/10/10/what-to-do-with-quinces/

...but not crumble. I have a few left and will try your recipe. Merci beaucoup pour la bonne idee.

You're so right Helen, I've never seen a quince here in SC. I'll be on the lookout now though - maybe at Whole Foods? Those crumbles are beautiful. And the way you arranged the quince slices to look like a flower... just perfection. It would take me all day and then I would feel bad about eating it (at least for a little while).

Hah, it's perpetually summer here, and I only emulate the four (temperate) seasons through my cooking and baking indeed- even if the timing is all outta whack sometimes :) If quince bakes up anything like apple, I'm game for it, especially when it looks this good :)

I'm fascinated. Never have cooked quince and really know very little about them. Your descriptions and photos (also love the pine cone) make me want to find out a lot more. You certainly make use of every part of the fruit! Crumbles are such fun to make. Where ever did you get those individual skillets?

Those little pans are ADORABLE! I've never had fresh quince, only had it as membrillo in Argentina (and it was soooo good). Now I want to come over and try those beautiful crumbles right now *sob*. Beautiful as ever. Such a treat for the eyes (since I can't put them in my tummy!)

I know just what you mean, usually I'm the lady with the weird fruit holding up the line :D I actually got lucky a few days ago and I found a bunch of quinces on sale at a store by me so I bought as much as I could and I just made several jars of quince jam. If you send me your address I'll be happy to send you a jar :D

Ah! I always dread the end of summer, but I think you've just given me an excuse to look forward to Fall...They look delicious, and I will definitely be making some as soon as I can get my hands on some quince. Gorgeous photos as always--your blog is such a delight :)

I wish I could send you some of my Pacific Northwest autumn...rainy, blustery, crisp, fall days! I too have been in the spirit of the crumble. I've always wondered if the extra crumble could be saved for later, thank you!

I love your photo of the pinecone cozily nestled in it's nest of leaves!

Hi! Love this blog because I love two things: baking and photography. I was wondering what kind of camera/film you use to photograph these lovely scenes. Some of your photos look analog, some digital, so I can't tell. Maybe it's just post-processing, or maybe you just have a really nice camera. Either way your photography is beautiful, and your desserts? Divine.

Yum this look really good, I have cooked with quince once and really liked it...I shall look out for it at the market and thanks so much for the interesting fact about the pectin in the seeds...this kind of information really intrigues me, I shall save my seeds to use for pate de fruit as you suggest...THANKS!!!

My mother uses quince to make what we call here in Poland "nalewka" (kind of alcoholic tincture) but i think i will steal some fruit and make your crumbles. Thank you for great recipes and beautiful pictures :)

Hi, Helen. I've been watching your blog for some time and feeling just totally in awe of your photography. So this weekend, I met Caitlin of Engineer Baker and she told me you're doing her wedding, and I thought that was the nicest thing I'd ever heard. Literally almost cried. You are lovely.

I even tried to plant a quince tree, but it didn't like to warm climate :(also here it is very difficult to find (Lake Garda -Italy), but when I find them I also do quince jelly.with the peel I do a liquor..mmmmvery dry, very good.

jillp: sweetness among quince varies a lot and we tend to add less sugar than most people by taste. If you find that the 1/4 cup of sugar is not enough in the poaching liquid, you can definitely double it up.